Covid-19 is making millions of domestic workers more vulnerable. Tech can help
- As Covid-19 spurs policy shifts, governments have a rare opportunity to recalibrate policies and better understand the obstacles facing migrant domestic workers
- Some apps are trying to prevent harmful working conditions in the first place
While individuals with economic security can use technology to work from home, domestic workers suddenly face difficult conditions amid changing restrictions. Many have been forced to stay in home quarantine with employers. Others have been fired unexpectedly, unable to return home or inform their families of their whereabouts.
For example, Clause 3 of the Standard Employment Contract (ID407) for foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong says the worker should work and reside in the employer's residence as stated in the contract.
03:53
Domestic helpers in Hong Kong pitch in to try and stop the spread of coronavirus in the city
Recent trends reveal unsettling problems migrant domestic workers have faced for decades. These include long working hours, language barriers, limited local support networks and little access to social protection. Additionally, women – who make up about two-thirds of the world’s migrant domestic worker population – are vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence.
As Covid-19 spurs policy shifts, governments across the world have a rare opportunity to recalibrate policies and better understand the obstacles facing migrant domestic workers. In pre-Covid-19 times, NGOs and governments were developing tech tools to empower the larger population of migrant workers. Data collection within, for example, supply chains and the agricultural sector helped provide some workers with more access to grievance channels.
Think you have it bad? Millions of migrant workers have it far worse
But few existing tools explore the spectrum of domestic helpers’ working conditions, which range from “decent work” to “forced labour”, as defined by the ILO. Working conditions, it needs to be said, are a long continuum. Work situations that start consensual and mutually beneficial can quickly turn into oppressive and exploitative environments.
02:52
Migrant workers in Singapore fear job loss after coronavirus quarantine ends
For Apprise and other apps to be used effectively for preventing forced labour, they need to integrate data from preliminary screenings so as to identify patterns of exploitation. Frontline responders can then better understand existing patterns and launch targeted awareness campaigns.
Exploitation identified via tech often takes the form of employers not meeting contractual obligations. In a crisis context – particularly one where workers’ movements are restricted – consistent contract breaches can have disastrous effects.
These apps can be tweaked to add machine-learning capabilities, and improve human trafficking detection, for instance. In the context of domestic workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, these tech tools could give the workers an opportunity to voice concerns, access legal information, and provide data for policy recommendations to governments regarding a vulnerable population in their community.
Covid-19 should be considered an opportunity to lay out more robust policies in support of migrant domestic workers. When considering integrating tech into policies addressing social issues, governments and community-based organisations must remember technology itself is not a solution. But combining technology with a long-term commitment to help vulnerable workers can give 55 million domestic workers worldwide hope for better working conditions during this uncertain time.
Sophie Zinser is a researcher on migrant technology with UNU-Macau based in Hong Kong and an incoming Schwarzman Academy Fellow at Chatham House in London
